Illustrate the theme of isolation in “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck Essay

In the novel â€Å"Of Mice and Men† which was set in the 1930’s I believe that John Steinbeck Illustrated loneliness and solitude in many places. The seclusion in those times was due to mainly discrimination and injustice. The life of a customary worker would be very difficult, therefore people worked for others on their farms. The wages were not proportional to the amount of labour and in addition the accommodation was barely habitable, this was unjust. The two focal characters George and Lennie have a sturdy bond and companionship. The other characters in the story are missing a true acquaintance and are envious of the two men. They have never before seen two men unite together like that before. All the other characters in the book are all abandoned and dejected apart from Slim. George and Lennie were wedged together through thick and thin, through good and bad and they knew they needed each other. This was revealed as George Said â€Å"Guys like us that live on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. † This meaning that if not for each other they would be like the others on the ranch, discontented and lonesome. The others on the ranch had recognised this, as their fellow workers said â€Å"Funny how you an’ him string together. † This had highlighted the unusualness of the situation and the migrant lifestyle of the 1930’s. While the whole ranch suffers from loneliness there are a few individual cases that are emphasised throughout the whole book. There are three main people in the book who suffer, Crooks, Candy and Curleys Wife. They all suffer injustice in the form of prejudice and discrimination. Candy was thought of as an outcast as he has no longer got the physical ability due to his age; and his physical disability does not help his cause. Candy had one true friend nevertheless, his dog. Once the dog was killed by Carlson, Candy was forced to seek friendship in another form. He knew that he was going to be given his marching orders shortly, as he said â€Å"they’ll call me purty soon. † While he was in the bunk house one day, he over heard George and Lennie talk about their lifelong dream. Candy decided to help George and Lennie accomplish their dreams. Candy had presented to facilitate in the form of money and manual labour. This was a move of desperation but worked as the two men accepted Candy’s offer. Candy basically tried to buy friendship, this does not always produce true friends. Crook’s a black man who faced isolation from the racist community. Crooks is not allowed to socially interact with others around him because of his colour which is similar to Lennie’s situation as Lennie was unable to interact with people due to his mental condition. Crook’s is restricted from doing customary things along side the white. He recognises how he has been treated and acts towards the white people who have affronted him how he himself is being treated. Crook’s is also an envious man. He is extremely resentful of George and Lennie’s tight friendship as Crook’s says to Lennie while in the barn together â€Å"well, s’pose, jus s’pose he don’t come back. What’ll you do then? † this was asked because Crook’s did not have any friends and did not know how it would feel to lose them unexpectedly. Knowing that Lennie was mentally ill, Crook’s decided to torture him because he wanted to ease some anger because he was discarded and unwanted by the others. Crook’s is so lonely and striving for a good life he will do anything to live peacefully.

How is the alphabet stored Essay

Abstract Alphabetic retrieval is a prototypical task that is studied to gain insight into how humans learn and process long lists. We shall study two conï ¬â€šicting models of this process: serial search and direct association. To distinguish between these models, we shall derive predictions about priming eï ¬â‚¬ects that occur when items are paired. In a new experiment, we measure these priming eï ¬â‚¬ects. Although the small data set does not allow strong conclusions, it shows that a pure associational model alone is too simplistic. How is the alphabet stored? How do people retrieve letters from the alphabet? Diï ¬â‚¬erent accounts of how humans store and access the alphabet, or other long lists with little explicit structure, have been proposed. A good model must be able to explain human performance, and especially reaction times (RTs), in experimental tasks. Tasks that have been studied in experiments include: reciting the alphabet from a speciï ¬ c letter, saying the next letter, judging whether two letters are in the correct alphabetic order, etc. All these experiments have found an increase in reaction times towards the end of the alphabet, as well as a distinctive pattern of peaks and valleys across the alphabet. In this paper we shall focus on this alphabetic retrieval task: A letter (the probe) is presented visually, and the subject has to say either the following or preceding letter in the alphabet. In the forward condition, the subject has to say the next letter in the alphabet. In the backward cond ition, the subject has to say the preceding letter. A pattern relating to this task is shown in Figure 1. Note how the location of peaks and valleys is consistent between the forward and backward tasks. Models of alphabetic retrieval: serial search vs. direct  association Klahr, Chase, and Lovelace (1983) propose a serial search-model of alphabetic retrieval. To ï ¬ nd the letter following or preceding a probed letter, the subject has to ‘recite’ the alphabet from a speciï ¬ c ‘entry point’ until the probe letter is found (or one further to ï ¬ nd the answer, in the forward search task). The reaction time depends on the time needed to ï ¬ nd the entry point and the number of steps from the entry point to the probe letter. According to the direct association model of Scharroo, Leeuwenberg, Stalmeier, and Vos (1994a), no serial search is necessary. Letters have direct associations with their successors, and the strength of this association determines the reaction time. Figure 1: Reaction times (Scharroo et al. 1994a) Forward vs. backward search The model of Klahr et al. (1983) applies to both forward and backward searching. Scharroo et al. (1994a) leave open the possibility of serial search in the backward condition, while rejecting serial search in the forward condition, because the alphabet is learnt in the forward direction only, and direct associations with predecessors might not be available. However they also state that their experiment does not support the serial search model even for the backward condition, and that the Klahr et al. model has little value in explaining their results. So their position on serial search in the backward condition is not entirely clear. A reply to Scharroo et al.’s work (Klahr 1994) proposes that a new model should be developed, which should combine both the serial search and the direct association model. If a suï ¬Æ'ciently strong association between letters is available, this association is used; otherwise a serial search is performed. The article does not specify when such a direct association will be available, but the distinction between the forward and backward tasks seems a plausible candidate. However, in Scharroo’s rejoinder (Scharroo 1994b), she states she sees little  use in such an arbitrary combination of models. A pure associational model is suï ¬Æ'cient to explain the data, and a serial search component has little to add. The position in this article seems more radical than in the 1994a article because even in the backward search task it does not allow for a serial search process. Unfortunately, no account is given of how people learn backward associations between letters. Experiments have consistently shown higher reaction times in the backward task than in the forward task, which implies that a backward association is weaker than a forward association. Chunks According to Klahr and others who think humans use a list-structure to store the alphabet, the alphabet cannot be learnt directly, because it exceeds the capacity of working memory. The diï ¬â‚¬erent subgroups in which the alphabet is divided during learning, and also during subsequent storage, are called chunks. When a chunk boundary must be crossed to ï ¬ nd the answer to a test item, this results in signiï ¬ cantly longer reaction times. To Klahr et al., chunks are also the preferred entry points for initiating a serial search: a search will always start from the ï ¬ rst letter of a chunk. To Scharroo et al., a chunk is â€Å"just a series of letters with strong associations, enclosed between weak associations† (Scharroo et al. 1994a, p. 239). Individual diï ¬â‚¬erences In Klahr’s experiments with American subjects, he ï ¬ nds a strong interpersonal agreement on chunk boundaries. This segmentation coincides with the phrasing of the nursery song through which the alphabet is taught in American schools. Scharroo et al. however, in their experiment with Dutch subjects, ï ¬ nd larger diï ¬â‚¬erences between subjects. They argue that this probably reï ¬â€šects the absence of a common method to teach the alphabet in the Netherlands. In both experiments interpersonal agreement on chunk boundaries decreases towards the end of the alphabet and chunk sizes towards the end of the alphabet are smaller. Increasing RTs across the alphabet Overall reaction times increase towards the end of the alphabet, and so do the RTs at the local minima that, in the serial search model, represent the beginning of chunks. According to Klahr et al., this increase in local minima occurs because access to entry points is slower for chunks later in the alphabet. In their account, this is explained by a serial search through all chunks to ï ¬ nd the chunk containing the probe letter, which precedes the search within the chunk. Scharroo et al.’s model (1994a) does not model increasing RTs at all, although in the 1994b article a parameter is added for this. They state that the overall RT increase is due to a primacy eï ¬â‚¬ect: the beginning of the alphabet has been repeated more often, therefore the associations between the letters are stronger at the beginning. They do not ï ¬ nd an increase in local minima in the results of individual test subjects, rather they claim that the increase in the aggregate data is a result of averaging. Because the chunks are smaller towards the end of the alphabet and because variability between persons is greater, averaging results in increasing local minima. Although we will have to take into account this increase in RTs across the alphabet, my experiment is not designed to decide between diï ¬â‚¬erent explanations for this increase. We will focus on (possible) serial search within chunks only. Predictions for priming Given the diï ¬â‚¬erence between American and Dutch subjects, it is hard to decide which model ï ¬ ts the experimental data better. Therefore, we will derive new predictions about how priming can inï ¬â€šuence RTs. The results might help decide which model is correct. The task is the same as described earlier: the subject is presented a letter and has to say either the next or the preceding letter in the alphabet. However, items will be  paired to form prime-target combinations. For convenience, we will always refer to the ï ¬ rst item of such a combination as the prime, regardless of whether we think this item causes priming or not. An example would be the combination D−, F −. The prime item is D− (the − indicating that the task is to say the letter before the D) followed by a target item F −. The RT on this target item is compared to the RT on the same target item when preceded by an item O−. If the RT on the target item is signiï ¬ cantly faster for the ï ¬ rst combination than for the second, we can say that the D− item somehow primes the F − item. We will distinguish three models, based on the described literature. For each model we will describe what predictions for priming can be derived from it. The examples assumes that the letters A to F are all in the same chunk. SS (strong serial search) Always serial search, both in the forward and backward condition. This corresponds with the Klahr. et al (1983) model.  A prime item C+ or D− will always cause someone to ‘recite’ from the beginning of the chunk until the prime is reached (it doesn’t matter whether the next or the preceding letter is asked): â€Å"A, B, C, D†, assuming the chunk starts at A. This will activate all the letters from A to D. For a subsequent target F −, the subject will need to search the series A to F . However, this search should be faster because many of the letters have been activated. The right entry point (rather trivial in this case: A) should also be found faster because it is still active. We could even argue that the search doesn’t have to start at A, but can start where the preceding search left of, at D. Whatever the precise mechanism, we expect a priming eï ¬â‚¬ect, both when the prime item is + and when it is −. If there is a chunk boundary between prime and target, no priming can occur. But averaged over all letters of the alphabet, we still expect a priming eï ¬â‚¬ect. DA (direct association) Always direct association, both in the forward and in the backward condition. This corresponds with the Scharroo et al. model. Although they claim to ï ¬ nd  a serial search in the backward condition plausible (1994a), this is not incorporated in the formal model (Scharroo et al. 1994a). Scharroo later takes the position that a combination of models adds no explanatory leverage (Scharroo 1994b). When we refer to DA, we mean a pure associational model. To ï ¬ nd the letter preceding or following the prime, only the association between these two letters needs to be activated. This will not eï ¬â‚¬ect the subsequent target item, unless the target item or its answer is identical to one of these activated letters. Therefore, there is no priming except identity priming (i.e. a prime and target are identical, or ask for identical answers). FABS (forward association, backward search) A simple combination of both models. To ï ¬ nd the next letter, direct association is used. To ï ¬ nd a preceding letter, a forward serial search is initiated. The entry point for this serial search is the beginning of a chunk. If the prime item demands a serial search (in the backward condition) the subsequent forward associations will be primed. This priming will aï ¬â‚¬ect the RT of the target 4 prime − prime + priming D− F− C+ F− no priming P− F− P+ F− Table 1: Conditions: example  item if it is in the backward condition, by the same reasoning as for SS. It will not aï ¬â‚¬ect the RT of the target item if it is in the forward condition (at least not if the prime preceded the target in the alphabetic order), since the forward task does not involve a serial search. If the prime item is in the forward condition, only the direct association between the prime and its following letter is activated. If the target is in the forward condition too, our expectations are the same as for direct association. If the target is backward, the activated association would slightly speed up the serial search, if this association is part of the series being searched (which is the case if the prime preceeds the target in the alphabet). Experiment Item design Because Klahr himself has proposed a hybrid model, our design does not test all possible circumstances in which priming can occur according to SS. Rather, it tries to distinguish between pure association and any form of search (SS or FABS). Therefore, the target is always asked backward. The prime can be both forward and backward. This leads to a matrix of four conditions. Table 1 gives an example of each condition, with all examples using the same target. The conditions always use the same distance between prime and target, as explained below: no priming, prime − (np−) : the ‘prime’ is the 10th letter after the target (if the target is between B and P ), or the 15th letter before the target (if the target is between P and Z). Because this distance is larger than any proposed chunk size, there can be no priming eï ¬â‚¬ect. no priming, prime + (np+) : the same as np−, but this time the prime is +. priming, prime − (p−) : the prime is the 2nd letter before the target. This  is the minimum distance needed to ensure that the answer to the target does not overlap with the prime (either the prime letter itself or its answer). priming, prime + (p+) : the prime is the 3rd letter before the target. Again, this distance is necessary to prevent overlap between prime and target. Note that for the same target in conditions p− and p+, the prime involves the same pair of letters (but which letter is the question and which is the answer diï ¬â‚¬ers). Using these distances, we generated prime-target pairs for every target from B− to Z− for the no-priming conditions and from D− to Z− for the priming conditions. To these items, ï ¬ llers were added to achieve the following checks and balances: 1. the + and − operator occur equally often for each letter (except A and Z), 2. sequences of the same operator (at most three in a row) occur equally often for each operator, 3. in the p+ and p− conditions, the prime is never primed itself. We organised our items with ï ¬ llers in sequences of 3 or 4 letters. The sequences could be reordered without violating the third condition. Every subject received a diï ¬â‚¬erent, random ordering of sequences. Predictions for our 4 conditions It should be obvious that we cannot assume that a +− and a −− combination will have the same RTs on the second item. Therefore, a direct comparison between np− and np+, and between p− and p+ is problematic. There are three diï ¬â‚¬erent possibilies: 1. If there is no priming, the previous operator does not inï ¬â€šuence performance on the next operator. (If there is priming, the previous operator might inï ¬â€šuence performance, in so far as diï ¬â‚¬erent operators cause diï ¬â‚¬erent search processes.) 2. If there is no priming, performance on the target will be slower if the subject has to switch to a diï ¬â‚¬erent task (i.e. a diï ¬â‚¬erent operator). Therefore, np− is faster than np+. 3. If there is no priming, slow performance on the prime will spill over as slow performance on the target. Since − is slower than +, performance on the target will be slower for np− than for np+. We can compare np− and np+ to get an idea of the size and direction of the  previous operator inï ¬â€šuence. We can then use this to correct the RTs for p− and p+. Assuming that there is no previous operator inï ¬â€šuence, the diï ¬â‚¬erent models would make the following predictions on the rank order of the conditions, where > means ‘higher target RT / slower’ and < means ‘lower target RT / faster’: DA: FABS: SS: np− = np+ = p− = p+ p− < p+ < (np− = np+) (p− = p+) < (np− = np+) Assuming nothing about the previous operator inï ¬â€šuence, not even that its direction is consistent across priming and non priming conditions, we can only predict a partial rank ordering: DA: FABS: SS: np− = p−, np+ = p+ p− < np−, p+ < np+ p− < np−, p+ < np+ The diï ¬â‚¬erences between SS and FABS in these predictions are very minor, as we have not added items with a forward target. Method The subjects were 15 psychology undergraduates, participating for course credit. They youngest was 18 and the oldest was 24. There were 8 females and 7 males. 12 subjects spoke Dutch as a child both at home and at primary school. One subject spoke Frisian at home and Dutch at primary school. One  subject spoke German both at home and at primary school. The items were presented on a computer screen. After the subject pressed the space bar to start each trial, a + or − sign was shown for 0.5 seconds at the center of the screen, then the operator disappeared and a capital letter was shown at the same location. Subjects were to press the spacebar as soon as they knew the answer. They then were shown a question mark and had to type the answer. By letting subjects press the spacebar before typing the answer, we aimed to prevent a confounding inï ¬â€šuence from the diï ¬â‚¬erent letter positions on the computer keyboard. Subjects were instructed to use only their index ï ¬ ngers, so movements had to be sequential. To discourage subjects from pressing the space bar prematurely, the question mark would disappear after 2 seconds. Subjects received no feedback on the correctness of their response, but they knew the response was being recorded. The experiment took about 4 x 10 minutes. Subjects were oï ¬â‚¬ered a break at three times during the experiment, and were free to determine the duration of the break. Results One subject was excluded from our analyses because he had a remarkably high error rate (18% overall, but 30% on − operator). Because we required for our analyses of priming that both the prime and the target are correct, half of the data for this subject was unusable. For the remaining subjects, the error rate varied from 1.7% to 9.5% overall, with a mean of 6.8%. For the − operator alone, the error rate varied from 2.0% to 17.6%, with a mean of 10.9%. Since these error rates are rather high, we have looked into possible causes of these errors. For 62.8% of errors, the response given was actually a correct response, but for the wrong operator. Subjects never saw the operator and the letter at the same time, and this appears to have caused  many errors. For another 15.5% of errors, no response was given within 2 seconds. Whether this is because the subject wasn’t fast enough to type the answer, or because he forgot the operator and decided not the respond, we don’t know. For 12.5% of errors, the response was two letters away from the presented letter, instead of just one. For the remaining errors, either the presented letter was repeated as the response, or a response was given that had so little to do with the question that we assume it was a typing mistake. Items with reaction times of less than 0.3 seconds or more than 10 seconds have been ï ¬ ltered out.  We have analysed reaction times per item for all items (including ï ¬ llers), without looking at priming yet. Figure 2 shows the reaction time (averaged over all subjects) for each letter. The solid line represents the forward task, while the dashed line represents the backward task. Letter position 1 represents A+ and B−, while position 25 represents Y + and Z−. This alignment best shows the correspondence of peak and valleys between the two tasks. Figure 3 shows 2 graphs of individual subjects. These ï ¬ gures illustrate the large 7 Figure 2: Reaction times per letter Figure 3: Reaction times per letter, individual subjects np+ 1749 ms p− 1772 ms np− 1832 ms p+ 1833 ms Table 2: Average RT per condition  individual diï ¬â‚¬erences between subjects. Our averaged ï ¬ gure looks less smooth than the Scharroo et al. (1994a) graph that we reproduced in ï ¬ gure 1, but Scharroo et al. used more subjects (40). We think our averaged ï ¬ gure is consistest with the eï ¬â‚¬ects described in literature, especially with respect to the pattern of peaks and valleys and the congruence between the forward and backward tasks. The individual diï ¬â‚¬erences we ï ¬ nd are not out of line with Scharroo et al. (1994a), who used Dutch subjects as we did. We cannot compare with Klahr et al. (1983) because they did not show individual results. To analyse the eï ¬â‚¬ect of priming, we looked at the reaction time of the target letter as a function of the condition. The (intersubject) average per condition is shown in Table 2. Note that p− < np−, but also that p+ > np+, which does not match any of the (partial) rank orderings predicted earlier. The direction of the previous operator eï ¬â‚¬ect, with p− < np−, but p+ > np+, is not consistent. The diï ¬â‚¬erences are not signiï ¬ cant, however. If the diï ¬â‚¬erences were signiï ¬ cant, they would indicate an interaction between previous operator and priming, that causes priming to be slower than non-priming for the + operator. We used the statistical package R to create a linear mixed eï ¬â‚¬ect model of the data. The variable to be explained was the logarithm of the reaction time. The dependent variables were: †¢ The sequence number of the item in the experiment. This lets us model the learning that occurs during the experiment. †¢ The position of the letter in the alphabet, encoded as a factor. †¢ Priming: true in the p+ and p− conditions. †¢ The operator of the previous letter. †¢ All two-way interactions between priming, previous operator, and sequence number. †¢ The subject. For every subject, a distinct error stratum was used. We then stepped through the possible simpliï ¬ cations of this model to ï ¬ nd the  model with the lowest AIC value. This model contains the dependent variables sequence number, letter position, previous operator, and an interaction between previous operator and sequence number. As expected, there was a negative correlation between sequence number and reaction time, indicating a learning eï ¬â‚¬ect during the experiment. The interaction between previous operator and sequence number means that there is more learning when the previous operator is − than when it is +. An ANOVA-analysis of this model showed that sequence number, letter position, and the interaction between previous operator and sequence were all highly signiï ¬ cant at the p < 0.001 level. The previous operator alone was not signiï ¬ cant, however (p = 0.3254). Our computer model does not include priming: priming does not help explain the reaction times better. Discussion We have not been able to ï ¬ nd a signiï ¬ cant eï ¬â‚¬ect of priming. However, the conclusion that there is no priming is not warranted. The eï ¬â‚¬ect of the previous operator is not signiï ¬ cant either, even though it is included in the model with the best AIC-value, and an interaction with this eï ¬â‚¬ect is signiï ¬ cant. Because of the pattern of peaks and valleys across the alphabet, it was necessary to treat the letter position as a factor, instead of as a continuous variable. This means that the data is modelled per letter, per condition, per subject, which requires a very large data set. We think that further research with a larger subject pool is useful. Such further research should also review the item design, to prevent correlations between priming and other possible factors as much as possible. Our experiment has shown that using a computer keyboard as input device gives results comparable to using a voice key. This means experiments can be  conducted with standard computer hardware. We think it is prudent for future research using this alphabetic retrieval task, even if priming is not its object, to control for possible priming and for the previous operator. References [1] David Klahr, William G. Chase, and Eugene A. Lovelace (1983) Structure and Process in Alphabetic Retrieval. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 9 (3), 462-477. [2] Jackie Scharroo, Emanuel Leeuwenberg, Peep F. M. Stalmeier, and Piet G. Vos (1994) Alphabetic Search: Comment on Klahr, Chase, and Lovelace (1983). Journal of Experimental Psychology, 20 (1), 236-244. [3] David Klahr (1994) Plausible Models of Alphabetic Search: Reply to Scharroo, Leeuwenberg, Stalmeier, and Vos (1994). Journal of Experimental Psychology, 20 (1), 245-249. [4] Jackie Scharroo (1994) Modeling Alphabetic Retrieval: Rejoinder to Klahr (1994). Journal of Experimental Psychology, 20 (2), 492-495.

Change Management Essay Example for Free (#2)

Change Management Essay Essay Topic: Management , Development Many flaws can be found with the classical approach, the birth of which is widely accredited to Fredrick Taylor, in particular how employees became bitter and angry with the levels of â€Å"managerial thuggery† (Rose 1988) that Taylor promoted. There already existed high levels of worker-management conflict, and Taylors approach merely heightened the tensions that it had set out to tackle. Taylors view, and later, Henri Fayol’s view of how an organisation could be managed solely focused on the productivity of the worker and how efficiently work could be carried out. It did not take into account the morale of employees or any of their emotional needs, resulting in a workforce which became increasingly dissatisfied with their working environment. Mayo and Maslow developed an approach which was more emphasized on the management of worker morale and leadership rather than merely viewing employees as â€Å"greedy robots† (Rose 1988). This theory, which would evolve into what is known as the Human Relations approach to management, was focused on the thought that a happy and satisfied employee was a more productive employee. The classical approach to organisational management (1900-1930) emerged from the Industrial Revolution and was born out of a necessity to replace the â€Å"trial and error† approach, which was prevalent prior to this, with a more  focused and consistent approach to how an organisation should be managed. This new approach was focused on the efficiency of an organisation and in improving the performance and output of its employees. The classical approach can be divided into three main areas, scientific management, bureaucracy and administrative management. . (_Managing Change. Bernard Burnes)_ Fredrick Taylor (1856-1917) viewed the management of organisations production efficiency as a science and he is accredited with being the father of scientific management. Taylors view was that there was â€Å"one best way† to perform a task and his approach focused on breaking down each task so that it could be performed in the most efficient way. His research was heavily influenced by the studies of Frank and Lillian Gilbreth(1914). While Taylor was determined to reduce the time it took to complete a task, the Gilbreths tried to reduce the number of motions taken to complete a task. Taylor’s opinion was that â€Å"_human beings are predisposed to seek the maximum reward for the minimum effort†_ _(Taylor 1911)_ and to counteract this, managers must closely supervise workers to ensure that each predefined step in a task is carried out correctly. By breaking down each work process into smaller tasks controlled by the management, the knowledge required by workers about the work process is reduced. Workers become mere â€Å"cogs† in the machine that is the organisation, and can easily be replaced, as minimum training of a replacement worker is required. This in turn increases the managements control as the workers no longer have a monopoly of knowledge about the work process and cannot use their knowledge as a bargaining tool. Taylor, like the Gilbreths, believed that in order to increase a workers’ productivity, he should be motivated by monetary rewards for the amount of work he carries out. â€Å"_When a naturally energetic man works for a few days beside a lazy one, the logic of the situation is unanswerable ‘Why should I work hard when that lazy fellow gets the same pay that I do and does only half as much work?’ â€Å"(Taylor 1911)_ While Taylor and the Gilbreths were focused on improving the productivity of  individual workers at task level, Henri Fayol (1841-1925) with the administrative approach, was focused on efficiency at organisational level, top down as opposed to bottom up(Fayol, 1949). Fayols principles of organisation are; division of work, authority, discipline, unity of command ,unity of direction, subordination of individual interest to general interests, remuneration, centralization, scalar chain, order, equity, stability of tenure of personnel, initiative, and esprit de corps.(Mullins,1989:201-3). Max Weber (1864-1924) developed the theory of bureaucratic management which, similarly to Fayols approach, was focused on the overall structure of an organisation. According to Weber a bureaucracy must have a number of distinct characteristics. It must have a hierarchical chain of command, where each employer is answerable to a superior, therefore power flows from the top down. Division of labour, where each task is broken down into smaller tasks, with different employees working on each separate part of the task. Each employee is selected on merit and qualification only with no bias shown to favourites. Formalised and detailed rules and regulations must be set out. The beginnings of the Human Relations approach can be traced back to studies on worker fatigue which were carried out while the scientific approach was still being established, and it is fair to say that both approaches overlap. Elton Mayo (1880-1949) expanded on these studies in the 1930’s, most notably with his Hawthorn experiments. (_Managing Change. Bernard Burnes)_ Mayo did not believe that workers were only concerned by monetary rewards, but instead suggested that by having their social needs met at work they would in turn be more motivated and their performance would improve. In his experiments he divided workers into groups and studied how their productivity responded to changes in the environment such as lighting and working conditions. To his surprise the worsening working conditions did not lead to worker productivity declining, in fact productivity increased. This  led him to conclude that workers motivation was increased by better communication, as the workers were consulted with prior to, and throughout the experiments. It was also concluded that workers performed better when they were in a team, and when they were receiving greater attention from their managers. (_http://tutor2u.net/business/gcse/people_motivation_theories.htm_ ) Abraham Maslow (1908 – 1970) developed a management theory which is referred to as Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, as shown below. (image. http://chebri.com/commitment-maslows-hierarchy-of-needs-and-herzberg-theory-of-hygiene-motivation-in-business/) Maslow believed that in order for a person to concentrate on the higher needs, first his lower, more basic needs must to be satisfied. He argued that once a person’s lowest level physiological and safety needs are met; the higher level needs become more important to them. For example in a management situation the physiological needs of an employee are things like adequate lunch breaks and sufficient wages. The safety needs are met when a safe working environment is provided. Social needs are satisfied when there is a sense of community in the working environment. The esteem needs of employees are the needs for recognition from superiors for work carried out and achievements. Self Actualisation is the need of an employee to reach their full potential, this need changes, as different levels of potential are met the employee then needs to attain a higher level. .(_http://www.netmba.com/mgmt/ob/motivation/maslow/_ _)_ Douglas McGregor (1906-1964) stated that there are basically two types of manager, one who had a negative view of his employees and the other who had a more positive view. In his concept he called the negative view Theory X, and the positive one Theory Y. Theory X assumes that employees do not like work, and a threat of punishment is required to ensure that they perform to required standards. It is also of the assumption that workers do not have  any ambition and will avoid responsibility; they are primarily interested in security. Theory X could be used to describe the Classical approaches to management. Theory Y managers on the other hand take the human relations approach and assume that work is natural to people and can be a source of satisfaction to them. Theory Y managers believe that workers will seek responsibility and are motivated to meet goals. McGregor believed that managers who adapted the Theory X approach created an environment where workers were only motivated by financial or material gain, whereas Theory Y managers created a workplace where employees were more responsible and more willing to contribute. McGregor came to the conclusion that organisations needed to adapt the approach set out in Theory Y, which is essentially the human relations approach_._ For the purpose of this essay extensive research was carried out on the approaches that modern industries take regarding management. Information gathered from an interview with an employee of ESB Ireland, an electricity supplier which is one of the largest employers in Ireland, gave a unique insight into how this particular organisation continues to put into effect many facets of the human relations approach. Eoghan, who is employed as an electrical engineer, provided documentation and described how at the beginning of each year all employees have a one to one meeting with their manager to discuss and agree upon goals which they then attempt to achieve throughout the year. The employee is provided with guidance from their manager regarding the work processes on a continuous basis. The diagram shown below, which is taken from the ESB’s performance and development document, illustrates how formal and informal communication between manager and employee is seen as essential and is maintained throughout the year. _(Performance and Development Document ESB 2014)_ Coaching is also provided on a one to one basis with employees when it is  required. _†Coaching is a proven means, carried out in a confidential manner, by which more individual potential can be unlocked to achieve higher levels of career and business performance†_ _(ESB Performance and Development Document 2014)_ Through researching a case study carried out on building materials group CRH, similar approaches to performance management were identified. The CRH approach to performance management is broken down into three areas which are almost identical to those taken at ESB, these are; planning, coaching and reviewing. As is the case at ESB the work processes are carefully structured and discussed with the employee in the planning stage. Coaching is also carried out for each employee’s specific needs which in turn increases knowledge and improves communication. In the review stage each employee is assessed individually and given the opportunity to respond to feedback. _†Self-assessment, collection of information, appraisal and a review meeting all drive performance improvement†_ _(http://www.business2000.ie/pdf/pdf_10/crh_10th_ed.pdf)_ CRH are of the view that it is essential that employees are capable of working on their own initiative or as part of a team, as they state in their candidate requirements that candidates must have; _†Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team_ _Ability to analyse situations and develop innovative solutions_ _(http://www.business2000.ie/pdf/pdf_4/crh_4th_ed.pdf)_ It’s understood that the most important asset of any organisation is its employees, and trying to retain the services of these employees. The classical approach to management does not take this into account and instead is solely concerned with increasing productivity and extracting the maximum labour from its workers. It can be argued that the classical approach increases productivity and raises the output of each employee; however, in the long run it does not lead to a satisfied and contented workforce. This approach is dated when it comes to the fast paced business environment that exists today. In most modern workplaces it is essential that workers are capable of working on their own initiative and making important decisions themselves, the classical approach to management does nothing to promote or nurture these skills, and in fact it discourages them. The classical school of thought is that there is â€Å"one best way† for all organisations to be structured and operate _(Burnes. 2004)_, however, as established through this research, the approach that ESB takes disproves this theory, as each employee is treated as an individual and encouraged to provide opinion on how the work process should be structured and best performed. The meetings and one to one contact with managers gives the employee a clear understanding of what is expected of him and improves communication between the employee and management, which is one of the core aspects of the Human Relations Approach. These initial meetings as well as the guidance which is provided throughout year to the employee by ESB management is clearly influenced by Mayo’s conclusions following the Hawthorn experiments that employee morale and performance increased with better communication and prior consultation to the work process. _(Burnes. 2004)._ The coaching sessions which are provided at ESB help to improve skills and self-confidence in employees as well as providing management with the assurance that their workers are competent and performing to a high  standard. This type of approach to coaching and continuous improvement and learning is in direct contrast to the ideals of the Classical Approach, and particularly to Fredrick Taylors. Taylor believed in reducing employee’s knowledge about the work process rather than encouraging learning and understanding. By reducing the workers knowledge he believed that management had a greater control over their employee’s (_Burnes. Managing Change)._ The view taken by ESB is completely different, as they believe that the more skilled and confident that an employee becomes, the greater an asset to the organisation he will be. By providing training and coaching to employees ESB are investing in human capital, which means the more skilled an employee becomes the greater his economic value is to ESB_._ _(http://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/humancapital.asp)_ There is a quote from CRH that appears in the case study which was researched which proves that their organisation embodies almost every aspect of the Human Relations approach; _†The challenge for CRH is to be a Group that attracts and retains people_ _not just because it is an industry leader but also because it provides a_ _culture and working environment which creates opportunities for all_ _employees to grow personally and professionally.†_ _(http://www.business2000.ie/pdf/pdf_4/crh_4th_ed.pdf)_ Tesco.http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/tesco/developing-appropriate-leadership-styles/leadership-styles.html#axzz3JGcBkQ5Y http://iosrjournals.org/iosr-jbm/papers/Vol14-issue6/A01460105.pdf?id=7380 http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/frederick-taylor-theories-principles-contributions-to-management.html http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1911taylor.asp http://tutor2u.net/business/gcse/people_motivation_theories.htm http://chebri.com/commitment-maslows-hierarchy-of-needs-and-herzberg-theory-of-hygiene-motivation-in-business/ http://www.netmba.com/mgmt/ob/motivation/maslow/ _http://www.business2000.ie/pdf/pdf_4/crh_4th_ed.pdf_ Change Management. (2016, Aug 06). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

MP3s, and the Music of Today Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

MP3s, and the Music of Today - Essay Example Covach’s selections are actually representative of the songs in the 2000s in terms of the diversity in musical forms, genres, and styles of the artists. The artists that were noted were distinct and unique in terms of displaying varied personal images and exudes different musical styles (for instance the songs sung by Carrie Underwood were significantly different from those sung by OutKast). Each artists (whether as solo singers or in bands) and songs have their separate patronizers and target audience who get to appreciate the style and expressions rendered by their favorite singers. These other sets of singers: Radiohead, Gogol Bordello and OutKast compose and sing songs that are also evident of songs in the 2000s in terms of being innovative in their musical prowess of integrating different styles, forms, use of innovative and creative instruments, and the manner by which they interpret their songs to cater to their respective audiences. One does not, however, know these singers in particular where it not relayed through the course. Some trends that could have been overlooked in these surveys of 2000s rock music could be the profiles of audiences: like which particular target audience, in specific demographic factors, cater to each of the identified artists. These profiles, especially age ranges, cultural orientations, gender, and ethnic background, could provide illuminating details in the past, current and future trends that are manifested by the 2000s rock music and could thereby provide some indications on how these trends could persist in the near future. One believes that there are more foreign artists (such as Korean music) that became increasingly popular in the 2000s music. This kind of musical genre and format could be included and would be interesting to evaluate. One prominent artist that contributed to that trend is Psy and K-pop music which were made famous from Korean dramas such as Boys Over Flower and Hot

Design market research report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Design market research report - Essay Example In his early projects he used recycled bottles. He has sought to instill his products with a magic and romance that usually transcend their functions. He makes computer generated floral drawings and also develops designs for mass production. He has a work collection of glassware for Dartington crystal and also develops new products e.g. eyewear (Jennifer 2006). He has created a collection of products in different areas i.e. tableware, party and decoration items, consumables and lighting. He has also collaborated with Target which is a large retail store in the making of different products. He has made store decorations for one thousand five hundred stores, graphics for all catalogues and has also collaborated with directors of arts in television commercials. They sell their products in Target. He prefers this Target in comparison to others because it has a larger potential and scale. It is estimated that over one hundred million people shopping in Target usually come across his products especially during the Christmas festivities (Jennifer 2006). His project the Wednesday light which is used by Habitat has also enlarged his market. This is because working with Habitat has made the lights to be produced in large quantities. The production in mass quantities has also enabled him to keep the prices down. He employs modern techniques in his designs. ... He uses technology as a way of creating new methods and also to make new expressions. He likes the use of sensual material surfaces. It's the new industrial processes that make him be in a position to look at the quality again. He uses the computer to draw then sends the materials directly to the production machines to make the products. He has more preference on the process of manufacturing. Currently he has designed a new version of Wednesday night which is made of nickel plated brass instead of the former stainless steel. It is of a larger size which in turn means that a large variety of flower designs would fit. The modern version also has less punk because it is packed in a flat pack. He has also developed romantic aesthetics which depict nature. These aesthetics have vibrant colors. He makes doll chairs and other chairs which are usually covered with organdies and mouse lines and are prepared using s variation of colors and textures. He makes designs with colors which are usually inspired by nature. Marrimeko Company Marrimeko is a finish company that was established in 1951. The company is involved in the manufacturing, designing, and also markets high quality clothing, bags, and other accessories. The company designs products of vivid colors and which have large scale patterns. This has made it to increase its popularity and also increase its market level. They have bold patterns and unique styles which cut across generations. The company usually works in a different way as compared to other companies. It has processes that are not so linear and coherent. Issues are usually heavily discussed and a lot of thinking is done before any decision is made in this company. Marrimeko has a high level market. Their sales had a 50% rise within the last two years.

Habituation in Spirostomum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Habituation in Spirostomum - Essay Example The unicellular organisms, Spirostomum also undergo changes on habituation. Spirostomum are ciliated protozoa and habituation helps in studying behavioral changes in these parallel to habituation. But it is viewed as a process to filter out iterative stimuli with no significant changes. And the easiest way to judge the changes is that as habituation is a homeostatic process it optimizes the Spirostomum's likelihood of judging the importance of the stimulus in a new iterative series or a change in it. The method to detect the low or high responsiveness to the stimuli is that if we take the initial responsiveness as organism's threshold prior to stimulus occurrence then if it has high initial response it is said to have lower threshold and if low initial response visa versa. In Spirostomum the time course of contraction is very rapid with 4 to 5 mS as the cells contract at a rate in excess of 100 cell lengths sec-1. And as the stimulus strength duration judges the threshold response, Spirostomum is said to have full or no contraction at all. The changes in resting membrane potential do not cause initial contractions while microinjection of calcium buffers induce contractions. The Spirostomum are habituated to a mechanical shock and cause brief contractions. And as the stimulation is repeated the number of contractions decreases. Ribonucleic acid (RNA) and protein have also been found to increase during habituation as per the foundations of Applewhite, Gardner and Lapan. As the RNA and protein increases occur after a few consecutive stimulations RNA and protein inhibitors can also be used in combination. Though large amounts of RNA and proteins are not needed for habituation in protozoan Spirostomum. For the process of habituation firstly place the individuals on the slide. Tap the slide with mechanical stimulus every four seconds. You'll notice a change in Spirostomum behavior after 12 to 20 stimuli. The calculation of the percentage of the protozoa contracting can be done by counting from photographs taken during the process. Various studies have shown that Spirostomum can remember for ten minutes maximum. The term behavior is used to extend the original meaning to the concept of primary internal processes and changes occurred due to habituation in single cellular organisms. It includes their iterative external stimulation, their initial threshold to the initial stimulus and the behavioral changes in them. The shorter life span of habituation in Spirostomum also suggests that synthesis of macromolecules may not be necessary. Therefore, the adaptive significance of habituation in Spirostomum as viewed across the science of phylogeny. Sources / References: 1) Smith. James, Eisenstein. E.M., Eisenstein. D. Research & Development. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Los Angeles, CA. The Evolutionary Significance of Habituation and Sensitization Across Phylogeny: A Behavioral Homeostasis Model. 2) The Department of Zoology. University of Hul. Hawkins. R.B. 3) http://www.nature.com. Journal. 4) Applewhite and Gardner (1968). Applewhite, Gardner and Lapan(1969) 5) http://www.springerlink.com/content 6) http://www.nature.com/nature/journal 7) Protein and RNA Inhibitors and Protozoan Habituation. Gardener. Frank.T, Applewhite.

Media comparison Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Media comparison - Essay Example This made the consulate an easy target. Al Jazeera explains that the Libyan bureaucrats had given stern warnings to the American envoys to vacate the building just before the attack (Ryan, 2012). This was after the Libyan citizens began to protest against a movie ridiculing the Prophet Muhammed of the Muslim community. However, the diplomats did not listen to them. The building was finally attacked leading to the sudden deaths of the US ambassador to Libya among other three Americans. Ten Libyans were also killed. Fawzi Abd al-Aali, a representative of eastern Libya’s interior ministry, stressed that the Americans could have escaped in the first few hours of the protest when the crowd was still manageable (Ryan, 2012). He also accredited the disaster to the state’s inability to enforce security and also the uncontrolled possession of heavy weapons by ordinary citizens. However, the report according to the US Media Consulting is different. It suggests that the attack had probably been organized and preplanned by the al-Qaida and dismisses the claims that there had been an anti-American protest. Moreover, the report claims that Christopher Stevens had always raised alarms that his life was in danger, specifically spotting the fact that he had been listed in the al-Qaida punch record. Political analysts associate this to his continuous concern with al-Qaidas growing numbers in Libyan main towns. According to the US Media Consulting industry, the attack was organized by the al-Qaida probably with the help of the former Guantanamo Bay inmate Sufyan Ben Qumu (Post, 2012). Comparing the two reports, it can be deduced that most media firms always tend to be biased. The report according to the US Media Consulting firm tends to dismiss the fact that the attack on the United States consulate in Bhengazi was due to the anti-American protest (Post, 2012). The coverage seems to be biased trying to protect the American image. Instead, it blames the al-Qaida for the

Theoretical concepts of accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Theoretical concepts of accounting - Essay Example Proponents of free market approach have also supported a wait and see approach in relation to economic and financial changes taking place all over the world. In fact, the free market proponents reject the idea of intervention by governments for the sake of adjusting the distracted economy, and have based their arguments on the claim that demand and supply forces interact to ultimately bring stability in the distracted economic conditions (Deegan and Unerman; Rankin, Stanton and McGowan). However, malpractices of those charged with the governance and misuse of authority often overrun the expected balances to be attained in a free market model through demand and supply interaction (Deegan and Unerman; Rankin, Stanton and McGowan). One of the most relevant and quotable example in this regard can be of the Enron Scandal, which obviously had nothing to do with the free market model and demand and supply forces, but government intervention to safeguard the interests of general public throu gh Sarbanes Oxley Act (SOX) was deemed appropriate (Deegan and Unerman; Rankin, Stanton and McGowan).... , under free market approach, shall be opted to enhance the role of market forces and when needed, government intervention, whether in the form of accounting regulations or other regulatory frameworks shall be introduced to ensure that no deviation from the objective of benefiting society and corporate entities takes place (Deegan and Unerman; Rankin, Stanton and McGowan). Certainly, after the recent experiences of financial crisis and the increasing debate regarding the lack of ethical practices towards corporate governance and corporate social responsibility, the need to bring regulatory measures have been felt as never before (Deegan and Unerman; Rankin, Stanton and McGowan). Before going into the details of differences between the assumptions underlying the capital market research and behavioural research, it is pertinent to understand what capital market research and behavioural research implies (Deegan and Unerman; Rankin, Stanton and McGowan). The capital market research evalu ates the overall impact of financial reporting on investors only; whereas behavioural research takes into consideration the responses towards financial reporting by separate individuals, which is reflected by the decisions made by different users of financial statements. The assumptions for each of the research type are based on the nature of these researches (Deegan and Unerman; Rankin, Stanton and McGowan). As for instance, under capital market research it is assumed that investors are the most important stakeholders who take into consideration the financial reporting by business entities to base their decisions upon them. On the other hand, the assumptions used under behavioural research are entirely contrasting to the capital market research, as it is assumed that every stakeholder,

Toshiba Overview and Global Presence Research Paper

Toshiba Overview and Global Presence - Research Paper Example Toshiba Overview and Global Presence This gives the company a global feel and as a result a competitive edge for its products. Toshiba is also listed in the stock exchange markets in London. The number of shareholders is approximately 457,467 holding a total of 423,760,000 shares (â€Å"Toshiba†). With an asset base of 69,893 million US dollars the company is led by Norio Sasaki together with the other company’s executives and together they have steered the company to success. With the wide range of products and outlets the company has established itself as one of the leading companies in the electronic business providing a wide variety of products. The global presence is an advantage that the competitors have been unable to penetrate successfully. A. Marketing Mix a) Product The company’s products and services are classified under three categories: computers and accessories, home appliances and consumer electronics. The company has a wide variety of innovative laptops, televisions, projectors, lapt op accessories and external hard drives. Business products include copiers, printers, scanners, semi-conductors, hard disk drives, surveillance equipment among others. Industrial products include automation systems, UPS, power systems, LED Display systems and industrial video products. Looking at the wide variety of products each targets a different niche of customers. The products are displayed in variety of showrooms in the various branches. The array of products is geared towards establishment and maintenance of a competitive edge against the competitors. ... The company comes up with new products that provide a wide range of solutions to businesses, industries and individuals as well. The company takes advantage of internet connectivity to conduct E-Commerce where they have come up with their own website. The website has comprehensive details about the company ranging from its products, sales, and policies in short anything you would want to know about a company. i. Cultural Factors Toshiba prides itself in having a strong safety and corporate culture which has been adhered to throughout the business operations. The company provides a plat form of sharing important information and the employees are aware of acceptable code of behavior. The company adopts the culture of employing people who are knowledgeable on current information about technical issues (Whittaker 15). In addition these people are also aware of the environmental issues which enable the company develop safe products. Their culture is flexible to suit the ever changing mark et conditions, with safety attitude being the most important. When taking risks the company’s employees are advised to follow strict guidelines when making risk decisions that affect products safety (Cutts 35). The success of the company has been largely attributed to safety decisions and products. ii. Customization vs. Standardization The choice of customization or standardization depends largely on the product. Toshiba has adopted a method where the customer specifies the features they want in a laptop. The customer will log into their website and choose want they want from wide variety of choices which include internal memory, size of the screen, and speed of the processor at an affordable price. They have also developed a list of

Elephant in the room Essay Example for Free

Elephant in the room Essay There are many aspects about rural schools that make them less fortunate than other types of schools. The actual environment of rural schools sometimes makes it hard for their students to succeed. Poverty is the 600 pound gorilla that is sitting on rural schools (Berliner, 2004). Rural schools are dependent on national and urban economics, and if the economy is not prospering, this also how rural schools fail. Because these schools are geographically and culturally isolated due to their locations, they usually lack the conditions that non-rural schools have. In addition, the location of these rural schools forces them to use more effort in order to network with people and to get the materials needed for teachers and students. Recently, farms in rural areas have been diminishing, and rural policy no longer has to be equated with farm policy. Furthermore, rural areas have previously depended on their schools as a focus of life, but this has changed and the future has become different. The school is now expected to prepare students for a different society than traditional rural environments, which creates an imbalance in ideals and traditions (Stern, 1994). We must view rural schools and communities as integrated social structures. Poverty is another problem that exists in rural schools, although it varies by region. We are in need of a federal policy to recognize the diversity of rural populations and give provisions for resources unavailable because of a lack of funding. There are three levels of funding provided by the government(local, state, and federal) that add to educational spending. If rural schools are to give the same services to their students as larger schools, the cost of program per person would be higher, but these schools do not receive extra money (DeYoung, 1991). Rural schools face poor conditions that their students are exposed to on a daily basis. For example, these schools lack the facilities, course materials, and programs that wealthier districts have. The problem with resources in rural schools is not availability of information, but the diversity of their settings. A critical factor as to why rural schools have such problems is the funding that they receive. Due to the small size of these schools, they tend to get less money from the government, but even when they get the same funding as non-rural districts, this is not enough due to the unique problems that rural schools are faced with. Because of the lack of funding, the condition of the schools is terrible. Usually rural schools have dilapidated buildings, which makes the learning environment unsafe and not motivating for the students. Since schools do not have sufficient funding, they are not able to tailor programs to the students needs, such as Advanced Placement and Honors classes as well as remedial and special education classes, which creates problems for these students. Furthermore, the materials that rural schools are provided with are out of date, and technological improvements such as computers and internet access are not available in most rural areas (Gibbs, 2000). Since the conditions of rural schools are not motivating to students they may experience.

External factors of environment affecting organisations

External factors of environment affecting organisations The word environment means the surrounding atmosphere and conditions for existence. It is very important for organisational leaders to know and understand the environment before they start doing business. The external factors of the environment are factors that are not under the control of an organisation. These factors include social environment, political conditions, technological environment, government regulations and policies, accounting agencies like accounting standard board, resources in economy and cultural environment and demographics of people (Finance Discussion Form 2010). The external environment comprises of all the outside factors that may have an impact on the workings of an organisation. The external environment is divided into 2 parts: directly interactive and indirectly interactive. A directly interactive type of environment has an immediate and firsthand impact upon an organisation. An indirectly interactive type of environment has a secondary and more distant impact on an organisation (Global Business Environment online Journal). The category of directly interactive environmental forces includes owners, customers, suppliers, competitors, employees and employee unions (The External Environment online Article). Conversely, the category of indirectly interactive environmental forces includes social-cultural, political and legal, technological, economic and global influences. Indirectly interactive forces may impact one organisation more than another simply because of the nature of a particular business (Global Strategy online Article). External factors that can affect a business are: social factors: how consumer, households and communities behave and their beliefs e.g. changes in attitude towards health or a greater number of pensioners in a population. Legal factors: the way in which legislation in society affects the business e.g. changes in employment laws on working hours. Economic factors: how the economy affects a business in terms of taxation, government spending, general demand, interest rates, exchange rates and European and global economic factors. Political factors: how changes in government policy might affect the business e.g. a decision to subsidise building new houses could be good for local brick works. Technological factors: how the rapid pace of change in production processes and product innovation affect a business. And ethical factors: what is regarded as morally right or wrong for a business to do e.g. trading with countries which have a poor record on human rights would be seen as unethical (External factors that affect retail industry online Article). Knowledge and understanding of the environment is vital for an organisation to know in order to be successful. Outline of the company I have chosen for the purposes of my essay: PRIMARK Primark Stores Limited is an Irish clothing retailer, operating over 200 stores in Ireland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Belgium. Within this area of responsibility, Primark stores outnumbered other clothing retailer business, with 161 stores overall distributed in three major regions: 125 in the United Kingdom, 34 in Ireland and 8 in Spain. Primark is known for selling clothes at the budget end of the market. The companys success is based on sourcing supply cheaply, making clothes with simple designs and fabrics, only making them in the most popular sizes, buying stock in huge bulks and varieties and not advertising. The company positions itself as marketing fashionable at cutthroat prices. The original clothing store was established by Arthur Ryan and his collaborator Micaela Mitchell in Dublin Ireland in 1969. After various success in clothing business, great profits and gross income led them to open stores in local and regional areas. It acquired various premises in different business centres within its local and regional areas which eventually generate more profits and income. Hence, these successes brought significant changes on Primarks retail business. The relevance of global trends and consumers demands on lifestyle made Primark Store Limited reinvent its business scheme and management structure (The analysis on the external and internal environment of Primark retailing industry). In the recent years Primark has received many awards for its products including the prestigious Retailer of the Year award for 2 years in a row now (Primark website 2010). Whilst the companys main headquarters are based in Ireland, the chain is a subsidiary of Associated British Foods plc (ABF), and is ultimately controlled by the Weston family through Wittington Investments (Primark Stores Ltd 2010). The analytical framework I have selected for the company The key environmental issue I have chosen for the basis of my analysis of Primark is PESTEL. The term PESTEL stands for Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Environmental Legal. This term has been used regularly in the past 10 years and its true history is difficult to establish. Various other similar acronyms that have also been used include ETPS, STEP, PEST and STEEPLE (PESTLE analysis 2010). I choose the PESTEL analysis tool as it is used by companies for business and strategic planning, marketing planning, business and product development and research reports. Hence, using this tool, companies can gain an understanding of the environment they operate in and take advantage of the opportunities and minimize the possible threats (Market Orientated Strategic Planning 2010). PESTEL analysis is in effect an audit of an organisations environmental influence with the purpose of using this information to guide strategic decision-making. The assumption is that if the organisation is able to audit its current environment and asses potential changes, it will be better placed than its competitors to respond to changes. The PESTEL analysis is said to be a useful tool for understanding the big picture of the environment in which an organisation is operating and for understanding risks associated with market growth or decline, potential and directing for an individual business or organisation. A PESTEL analysis is also used as a generic orientation tool, finding out where an organisation or product is in the context of what is happening outside that will at some point affect what is happening inside an organisation. The six elements form a framework for reviewing a situation, and can also be used to review a strategy or position, direction of a company, a marketing proposition or idea (PEST Analysis is concerned With the Environmental Influences on a Business). Description discussion of PESTEL Political Factors: These refer to government policies such as degree of intervention in the economy. Political decisions can impact on many vital areas for business such as the education of the workforce, the health of the nation and the quality of the infrastructure of the economy such as the road and rail system. This category also includes areas such as tax policy, employment laws, environmental regulations, trade restrictions and reform tariffs and political stability (Oxford University Press. (2007). Economic factors: These refer to what is happening within the economy e.g. economic growth/decline, interest rates, exchange rates, inflation rate, taxation changes, wage rates, working hours, unemployment level, and recently recovered recession and credit crunch. Sociological factors: These refer to the ever changing social trends in the markets, in which the company operates, culture norms, and expectations, health consciousness, population growth rate, age distribution, career attitudes, emphasis on safety and global warming. Change in social trends can also impact on the demand for a firms products and the availability and willingness of individuals to work (The Pest or Pestle Analysis). Technological factors: These refer to the fast developing and advancing world of technology. Change in technology can impact the work and dealings of an organisation. New technologies create new processes and procedures. Things that were not possible a couple of years back are now main stream. Online shopping, bar coding and computer aided design are all improvements to the way companies do business now as a result of better technology. Technology can also reduce costs in the long run, improve quality, and lead to innovation. These developments can benefit customers as well as organisations manufacturing the products. Environmental factors: These refer to what is happening with respect to ecological and environmental issues i.e. climate and weather. Changes in the weather can impact on many industries including farming, tourism and insurance. With major climate changes occurring due to global warming and with greater environmental awareness this external factor is becoming a significant issue for firms to consider (PESTEL analysis of the macro-environment). Legal Factors: These refer to the legal environment in which an organisation operates. Changes in legislation may have an impact on employment, access to materials, quotas, resources, imports/exports and taxation. In recent years in the UK there have been many significant legal changes that have affected companies behaviour. The introduction of age discrimination and disability discrimination legislation, an increase in the minimum wage and greater requirements for firms to recycle are example of relatively recent law that affect an organisations work and actions (PESTLE analysis 2010). Applying the PESTEL framework to PRIMARK In assessing the political, social, and economic factors external to the environment of Primark, we must consider different issues. Primarks business operations are subject to government policies and regulations. The business firm should conform to the set of policies and regulations stipulated and enforced by the government and policy making body while conforming to the set of regulations and policies, the firm should assume social responsibility as demanded by the global consciousness. Nowadays, business sectors no longer busied themselves to produce bonds of profits and income but deeply involved in social programs to promote social awareness and equality. Cultural and social behaviours of different consumers are important to consider when establishing or venturing business in the global landscape (The analysis on the external and internal environment of Primark retailing industry). Furthermore, economic, environment, laws, and technology are inseparable entities in which influence the business operations. The economic stability of certain region can contribute allot to the business condition of certain firm, like Primark. Technology on the other hand, brought a tremendous effect to the status and development of business operations and marketing programs. It generates new trends in a rapid movement, which if organizations are unaware will impede growth and development (Pest Analysis 2010). Political factors: Primarks business operations are the aid of government policies and regulation for example providing proper working environment for workers. For dealing with workers and for improving their working conditions, the company is part of the Ethical trading Initiative (ETI). Primarks energy consumption in the UK is sourced against the green power generated and sold into the grid by British sugar (Article on Primark PESTEL ANALYSIS online). However, as different political parties come into power they might change existing policies, laws and regulations so Primark would regularly have to assess its strategies with consideration to the political climate to comply with them e.g. if a law is passed raising the minimum wage rate for employees. The government can also pass a restriction law on import and export trade with other countries due to political circumstances and relations with the trading country. This might also have an impact in Primark if they are getting their merchandise manufactured in that country. Economic Factors: In 2008, Primark opened over 12 stores and has now moved its business to Europe. This shows signs of expansion and success Although Primark has mostly low priced merchandise, an increase in tax and VAT in an unstable economy can have a major affect on its sales making them go down. The only Primark can prepare itself for such a situation is by having update knowledge about the current economic state using the PESTEL analysis tool. The recent global recession and credit crunch left a lot of businesses helpless leading them to bankruptcy as the publics spending power was very low due to the circumstances with also led organisations to let people go increasing unemployment. All these factors could have a great impact on Primarks business. Hence, Primark must constantly assess its strategy with consideration to its PESTEL to ensure safety and protection against such events. Sociological factors: Primark has received several awards for being retailer of the year. It has also won awards for being the best retailer of the year in the United Kingdom. However, social trends nowadays change rapidly. A product that is in demand today might not be so popular tomorrow. Primark needs to keep up to date with all these changes and trends. It must try to accommodate and deliver in respect to the change. Ageing and population level are 2 other factors that can have an impact of Primarks sale as the company mainly targets the young consumers aged between 16 to 35 years of age. Hence, Primark must constantly assess its strategy with consideration to its PESTEL to ensure its social stability and quick ability to deliver. Technological factors: Due to the rapid advancement and development in the technology world things that were not possible a few years ago are now very easy and user. Technology has made a lot of complicated tasks very user friendly. The Internet is one perfect example of this. It is now possible to shop online in the comfort of their home. Primark has a lot of online shoppers on their website and benefits from this technological development. Also in Primarks bid for world class, cutting edge management of its ethical auditing programme, it has signed a deal with BSE management systems for the provision of Entropy Software. The investment in Entropy software is a key part of Primarks ethical trade strategy, allowing all suppliers audits, non-conformances and remedial actions to be managed through the Entropy software platform, with much greater global visibility and management control. Environmental factors: As a result of global warming and the adverse weather conditions in the recent times many companies and organisations are doing their part for the environment. Primark supports this campaign by using recycled paper bags instead of plastic bags. Even consumers are very conscience about these factors in saving the environment and support this. One of Primarks fears can be delayed shipment of goods from other countries due to bad weather conditions. Legal factors: The local laws of a country can have an impact on all the organisations that operate there. If new laws are passed in relation to employment, national minimum wage or health and safety in the workplace then Primark will have to comply will all of them. In order to be up to date with all legislation and accommodate all changes Primark has to have knowledge and understanding of these laws and plan in advance. Hence, Primark must constantly assess its strategy with consideration to its PESTEL to ensure that their employment is fair and safe for its employees. Conclusion Primark can without difficulty diversify, giving its competitors a competitive environment with substantial financial power. Primarks offer to its customer is one of high quality merchandise, value for money, back by Primarks service promise. A strong consumer proposition has been developed by Primark brand and embodied in the line Look Good, Pay Less. I conclude this discussion by mentioning that the UK clothing retail industry is facing high levels of competition between various players but the end result shows that the consumers are most benefitted from it (Article on Primark PESTEL ANALYSIS online). Given this analysis we can say that each organization has its own external and internal problems to handle. The process in which we enable to identify and analyze such problems is by using proper management method of analysis PESTEL or STEEPLE. The importance of these methods is squared to the importance of the business itself. Primark must constantly assess its strategy with consideration to its PESTEL analysis tool. External factors can also to some extent affect its internal and business operation. Hence, these methods are helpful for us to understand and underline the positive and negative factors affecting the external environment of an organization like Primark. Word Count: 2605 Words

Analysis of My Last Duchess Essay -- Robert Browning, My Last Duchess

‘My Last Duchess’ is a poem written by Robert Browning in 1845. It’s a first person narrative of a duke who is showing the ambassador around his palace and negotiating his marriage to the daughter of another powerful family. As they are walking through the palace, the duke stops and looks at the beautiful portrait of his lovely last duchess. The duke speaks his thoughts about the girl, and as the poem progresses we begin to realize that his last duchess had been murdered. â€Å"†¦I gave commands, then all smiles stopped together,† This metaphorical sentence tells us that his commands were the ones that caused her death and her ‘stop of all smiles together’. The reason behind this is that she was flirtatious with all men because â€Å"she liked whate’er she looked on, and her looks went everywhere†. The language techniques used in this poem emphasize the Duke’s Last Duchess’s flirtatious character. They also hint to us the themes of murder, jealousy, suspicion and the Duke’s psychopathic character. The word ‘I’ is quite often used. â€Å"The curtain I have drawn for you, but I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Thi...

Comparing the American Dream of the Transcendentalists with that of The Great Gatsby :: essays research papers

Comparing the American Dream of 19th Century Transcendentalists with that of The Great Gatsby The American Dream remains viewed as the success which one obtains. The American Dream has had a great impact on literature as well as an impact on the changing of time periods. The 19th century Transcendentalists’ idea of the American Dream focuses on reaching one’s goals by honest, hard work. On the other hand, Gatsby’s idea of the American Dream in the 20th century centers on becoming successful by way of illegal money that was not acquired through working. Ultimately, the Transcendental and Gatsby’s beliefs reveal a great deal of contrast. The American Dream of the Transcendentalists centers on being all that one is meant to be. First of all, the ideas of the Transcendentalists did not revolve around society and materialistic possessions. Transcendentalists felt that â€Å"society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of everyone of its members†(from Self-Reliance 194). Also, Transcendentalists believed that â€Å"The nation itself, with all its so-called internal improvements, which, by the way, are all external and superficial, is just such an unwieldy and overgrown establishment, cluttered with furniture and tripped up by its own traps, ruined by luxury and heedless expense† (from Where I Lived and What I Lived For 212) and for which the only cure is simplicity. In addition, Transcendentalists believed that man should live life to the fullest by seeking to reach their potential. Thoreau â€Å"did not wish to take a cabin passage, but rather to go before the mast and on the deck of the world, for there I [Thoreau] could best see the moonlight amid the mountains† (from Conclusion 217). Seeking to reach one’s potential means that one must â€Å"Absolve you to yourself, and you should have the suffrage of the world† (from Self-Reliance 194). Furthermore, the Transcendentalists sought self-knowledge through the study of nature. â€Å"Nature never became a toy to a wise spirit. The flowers, the animals, the mountains, reflected the wisdom of his best hour, as much as they had delighted the simplicity of his childhood† (from Nature 191). â€Å"The life in us is like the water in the river† (from Conclusion 217) because some days one rises like the river and drowns out all of ones problems. Most importantly, the ideas of nonconformity and individualism illustrate the Transcendentalist beliefs. â€Å"Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist† (from Self-Reliance 194) shows that every man should have a unique quality that separates him from other men.

The Pressure To Be Perfect Essay -- essays research papers

The Pressure to be Perfect In today's competitive society, a person strives for perfection, due to the fact that so much emphasis is placed on one's outer appearance. No matter who we are or where we live, society puts this pressure upon us. We are typically faced with this pressure by models on television and in magazines. Companies seem to have targeted women more so than men. They usually use women with good looks and nice figures to advertise and market their product. When companies use these women in advertisements, it is setting a standard that other women feel that they need to follow. What has happened to internal beauty? Society puts so much importance on external beauty that people have forgotten about an individual having beauty within. The sayings â€Å"beauty is in the eye of the beholder† and â€Å"beauty is only skin deep† come to mind when I think about just how much emphasis is placed on outer appearance. A major factor that has increased the percentage of overweight people in society is technology. This includes items such as elevators, escalators, garage-door openers, drive-in windows, and the remote control. It use to be that you would at least burn some calories by having to get up and turn the channel on the television, but thanks to technology it is now a push of a button. Just think, things have the possibility to grow increasingly worse because of the 'information super highway'. There is no need to get out and walk the malls in search of a particular item...

Many scholars and practitioners admit that ABC has several pitfalls

Activity-Based Costing ( ABC ) method is the most well-known direction accounting invention in the last 20 old ages. It is primary used to heighten the productiveness and efficiency in the concern procedure ; to assist make budgets and set monetary values ; to sort client costs and better client dealingss ; to do determinations on strategic issues ; and to turn to external dialogue issues. ABC has been frequently used together with other direction tools and methods depending on the overall aims of specific enterprises. This paper analyzes ABC undertaking executions in assorted industries, identifies issues related to such executions and offers a model for maximal benefits.LITERATURE REVIEWWe have investigated recent literature in the countries of concern, direction, accounting, and finance, among others, reviewed over 20 articles related to ABC and identified 5 articles relevant to ABC executions. Based on the reappraisal of published literature from 1998 to 2009, we analyzed the usa ge of ABC. In a sum of 18 articles looking in accounting, finance, and public presentation direction diaries, we found that ABC was chiefly applied in the undermentioned five countries.Synthesis of ABC DevelopmentsMany bookmans and practicians admit that ABC has several booby traps. We can name the major unfavorable judgments as follows: †¢ A batch of practicians explain that ABC systems are expensive to implement, clip consuming and difficult to set. For case, Kaplan and Anderson ( 2007, p. 5 ) has described the ABC system of Hendee Enterprises, a Houston-based maker of sunshades. They explain that the ABC package took three yearss to cipher costs for the company ‘s 150 activities, 10,000 orders and 45,000 line points. †¢ A batch of failures have been compiled, particularly in the service industries. †¢ Finally, a batch of people think that the ABC method is excessively complex. As a effect, it sometimes fails to clear up the decision-making procedure and the scheme of the house. This is why since its early phases, several specific applications based on the ABC method have been suggested. Table 1 shows a synthesis of these applications. Their aims are: †¢ To diversify the costs objects ( merchandises, services, procedures, clients, markets, etc. ) †¢ To widen the analysis margin ( spacial and temporal broadening ) , and †¢ To find the relevant degree of inside informations to analyse the costs. These aim show a common aim, which is, to direct the computation of the costs towards the cardinal value factors of the house. In Table 1, we distinguish the three groups of techniques. †¢ The first one gathers those which enable spacial broadening of the costs margin. Some of them suggest to broaden the cost analysis to the clients ( customer-driven ABC ) , others to the rivals ( benchmarking-driven ABC ) , to the environment ( environmental-driven ABC ) , or to the providers and spouses ( interorganizational cost direction and open-book accounting ) . This list of solutions is non comprehensive. †¢ The 2nd one brings together those which allow analysis of future costs ( Activity-Based Budgeting ( ABB ) , Antos and Brimson, 1999 ) and a temporal broadening of the costs perimeter. These solutions consist of uniting the ABC method to the life rhythm bing or to the mark costing ( Horvath et al. , 1998 ) . We can besides associate the mark bing to a specific version of ABC called characteristic costing ( Cokins, 2002 ) . The characteristic costing ( Brimson, 1998 ) introduces another degree of analysis in the ABC method which is the merchandises characteristics. Several research workers have identified the links between the ABC and the mark bing methods. Lebas ( 1999, pp. 506-507 ) explains that ABC implies taking into history the value that the clients attribute to the merchandises. This is a rule of the mark bing method and this has a strong impact on the house ‘s cost rational construction. †¢ With the 3rd one, we put together techniques which propose to find the relevant degrees to analyse the costs, depending on the characteristics ( strategic and organisational ) of a house. In some instances, the procedures and scheme complexnesss are tremendous. The ABC method is deficient, so we need another attack to apportion the resources. The Resource Consumption Accounting ( RCA ) method ( Keys and van der Merwe, 2002 ) finish the ABC with a deeper analysis of resources. In other state of affairss, the complexness of the procedure is low and the ABC method is excessively elaborate. So, we can convey together several activities to put up a ‘meta-activity ‘ or a procedure with a individual cost driver. This is the premise of the procedure costing ( Horngren et al. , 2005 ) and the tip accounting methods. We besides analyze the time-driven ABC ( Kaplan and Anderson, 2007 ) which is an ‘equivalence method ‘ . It is the most recent ABC development. It is clearly a simplification of the ABC. With this technique, the activity film editing can be more simple ( like with procedure costing and thin accounting ) . But it can besides be more refined ( like RCA ) . Then, we conduct a more accurate analysis of several of these applications.To heighten productiveness and efficiency in the concern procedureIn USA, the authorities bureaus every bit good as the private sectors have embraced ABC to assist place working countries that could be more productive or efficient. For illustration, the United States Coast Guard and the metropolis of Indianapolis analyzed the cost of operations ( Kline and James, Journal of Mangement Issues, 2003 ) . An Air Force Base used ABC informations to cut down costs associated with denudation and painting an aircraft ( American Industrial Hygiene Associatio n, 2003 ) . ABC was used to assist an electricity company to turn to how efficiently operational activities add to the concern procedure and the optimum mix of resources necessary to expeditiously execute these activities ( Management Accounting, 80, 5:30-31, 1998. Lawson, a package confer withing house implemented ABC to place, proctor, and pull off the costs, activities, and processes involved in developing a new income generated service adviser ( Dub, Susan, ABC at Lawson, 1998 ) . In Paper Mills, ABC was applied with benchmarking to acquire the production inputs and resources ( Fogelholm, John. , 2006 ) .To assist make budgets and set monetary valuesTeva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. implemented ABC to assist put transportation monetary values among its divisions ( Kaplan, Robert, Norton, Harvard Business School Press: Converting Intangible Assetss into Tangible Income, 2004 ) . It is reported from experimental grounds on the virtues of ABC for monetary value scene in a competi tory market that differ in their ability to supply enlightening feedback ( Cardinaels, Eddy, Roodhooft, Filip, Warlop, Luk, Decisions: Journal of Management Accounting Research, 16, 133-148, 2004 ) . ABC can besides be used as a capital budgeting tool. A Fortune 500 company used ABC to turn out the viability of a capital investing of constructing a cybermall ( Coburn, Steve, Grove, Hugh, Cook, Tom, 1997 ) .To place client costs and better client dealingssThe usage of ABC and Customer Relation Management ( CRM ) aid companies analyze their clients, costs, and profitableness and assist them aline with their strategic ends ( Anderson, Brad, 2004 ) . In a bank, ABC was applied to clear up the relationship between resources and merchandise or client costs ( McDonald, Robert, 2004 ) . An ABC enterprise helped Kimberly Clark alter its internal procedure and besides convert its clients to alter the methods of cargos ( Cokins, Gary, 2004 ) . With ABC informations, Mahany Welding Supply ident ified concern activities and cost drivers more accurately, assisting to better the bringing service ( Krupnicki, Michael, Tyson, Thomas, 1997 ) . A impermanent employment company used ABC to place the public presentation of client channels ( Searcy, DeWayne, 2004 ) .To do determinations on strategic issuesAt Carrier Corporation, ABC information was used to cipher the fiscal benefits of cut downing rhythm times, natural stuff, work-in-process stock lists, and storage infinite demands every bit good as to do determinations on operation outsourcing ( Kaplan, Robert, 1997 ) . ABC attempts at Reichhold, Inc. improved the company ‘s capacity direction, rhythm times, value-added pricing determinations, and analysis of a fabrication works ( Palmer, Richard, 1998 ) . For little fabrication companies, ABC showed that most of the costs calculated for big occupations were lower under the volume-base theoretical account than the ABC theoretical account. ABC besides discovered that profitab leness began to diminish at certain occupation sizes ( Needy, Kim, Nachtmann, 2003 ) . Website www.Art.com applied ABC to steer resource allotment and determination devising ( Zeller, Thomas, 2001 )To turn to external dialogue issuesABC informations helps companies better negotiate contracts with outside sellers. The Hospice of Cardinal Kentucky negotiated with insurance companies and put payment footings that are more advantageous for the infirmary ( Baxendale, Sidney, 2000 ) . The ABC information besides prompt direction to educate referral beginnings to convey patients to hospital before acute attention becomes necessary. GE Capital Commercial Services implemented ABC to forestall losingss ensuing from underbidding ( Byerly, Davis, 2003 ) . It seems most of the ABC applications start with placing the cost of production or service bringing and so continue with either bettering efficiency or altering the work flow or activities to do the concern procedure more effectual. In several cases, the ABC enterprises were farther extended to do strategic determinations turn toing the corporate degree issues such as concern alliance or competitory determination devising. It clearly shows that ABC has been applied to a broad scope of industry sectors and functional spheres.

A Short Time in the Life of a Teacher

I begin the week by getting up. This is the part I hate the most. I wake up, my breath stinks, my hair covers my face like a mop and I look like I have been run over a few times! No problem, I'll soon sort that out! My alarm clock shocks me into a conscious state – it is horrible; it reminds me of the school fire alarm and it is just as loud too! So, not only am I very wide awake but I am dying of a cardiac arrest! Yes, it's Monday morning and no, it is not a terrible dream; so I throw off my covers and crawl out of bed. My room is small but snug. I like it like that. The terracotta walls are warm, the bed is a fresh white and my dressing table is a lovely pale wood, which is very hard to come by. I like things to be minimalist and tidy, there is nothing lying on the floor and my dressing table consists of a mirror and hairbrush, I'm not one for make-up. As my eyes adjust to the light, I can already tell that it is a pleasant day, the room has a stimulating feeling to it, which is different to any other day, where the sky is overcast and the sea is crashing over the wall outside of my window. I get washed, run downstairs and cram all that wonderful work that I did last night into my bag. Then I throw on my leathers, jump onto my Honda VTR 1000 sp-2 (the most amazing motorbike in the world!) and I'm off! I have a bit of a passion for motor bikes, I always have. When I was younger I used to cycle to school. I always wanted a motor bike but I was obviously too young at the age of fifteen and when I got to eighteen, the bike was too expensive to insure. Now I have my bike and I am the biker chic of the century, to be honest, I feel very superior to the people I whiz past when I am on my bike and they are sitting in their dreary cars! It takes me half an hour in the morning with all the traffic, I can weave in and around all the cars but I still have to wait at the traffic lights, which seem to change red every time I come close to them! There are a lot of people on their bikes in the morning, I do not know why there are so many, I recognise everyone and they all know who I am. Every day I wave or nod to the same people and they return the gesture. It is a friendly feeling when you live in such a small place. Before I know it, I am at school. I take my black helmet off and stare up at the massive building. It is ugly on the outside but at least it has a story to tell; that is what I like about old buildings, they always have a great history to them. I park my bike by the side of the huge granite stairs that I have to trundle up before I can get to the doorway. When I arrive at the giant door I turn the handle and the door swings open on its own accord, it is so heavy that I have to use all my weight to close it again. Once it is closed I lean against it, facing the inside of the school and breathe in the air which has not yet been moved by any one except for the school cat and the janitor. No one is here; seven thirty in the morning is a bit too early for most of the students and staff. Most of them will still be in bed until eight o'clock! I like the school when it is empty; it has a nice feeling to it. I sometimes imagine that it is my house and that I live here all alone, that it is my mansion. The illusion is broken when the janitor strolls past me, â€Å"Good morning Taisie!† He remarks cheerily. John has been here since six this morning; I cringe to think what time he has to rise! My form room is on the second floor, so I spring up the staircase that leads from the main entrance. I love the staircases here. The banisters are intricately designed with beautiful patterns and the deep red mahogany shines as the light bounces off it from the tremendous chandelier that hangs from the ceiling. The stairs twist upwards to the second floor. I walk down the corridor and take in the wonderful feeling of the quiet school; in an hour there will be young ladies screaming down the hallway laughing and gossiping about what they did on Friday night. Now, the only sound I can hear is that of my feet padding down the stone pathway. The walls echo at every sound I make but the feeling of being totally alone is welcomed. My door has a solid brass handle; it is freezing cold and my hands seem to invite the refreshing feeling of something cool after wearing black leather gloves. As I twist the handle and open the door, the hinges creek. I feel a blast of hot air as the box that is my classroom gasps for a breath. It is always hot in my room but that is the price I have to pay for having a classroom that over looks the tennis courts and swimming pool. I do not mind though, I spent most of my time in the drama studio, English is the subject I teach less of at the moment. I dump my pack on the floor and run off to the staff changing room to exchange my leather gear for my trousers, shirt and Jacket (not forgetting about my shoes but did you really want to know that?). After I have organised my books and plan for the day, I force myself to go to the staff room. I hate the staff room. Don't get me wrong, I like to socialise with all my colleagues but sometimes I can have more of an intelligent conversation with my pupils. I feel that I am the only member of staff who actually cares about my students. I am fed up of listening to an assemblage of adults who think that they are far superior to the rest of the adult community just because they are teachers. I sometimes wonder if any of them care about the students' welfare – after all, they're â€Å"just part of the job.† When I was at college, I wanted to help. All the way through school, I wanted to change the way people thought about teachers but now I realise that I am fighting a losing battle. I am the only one who does not expect the â€Å"ladies† to be perfect. I think about their future, I treat them as individuals and talk about them in a positive way, I want to help them and not just treat them as â€Å"another case I have to deal with every day.† They are not just a student body, they are individuals and I am fed up of my colleagues always seeing the bad side of the pupils, how is that going to help them? Although I said that I am fighting a losing battle, I live in hope. I still treat them as individuals or young adults and I realise that they are actually people, not just part of the job, even if no one else does. ‘ And this is for your form Taisie' The deputy head, Sharyn Tinton, shoves a wadge of paper into my hand with rules and regulations plastered all over them – the usual – no jewellery, no body piercing, no blah, blah, blah. The girls already know what not to wear and what is appropriate; I am tired of hearing it over and over! Me telling the students to take their nose piercing out is not going to make any difference whatsoever. That does not mean to say that I do not tell them off if they do have it visible but I think, â€Å"what you don't know, won't hurt you!† ‘ I have to go to arrange my class for their form assembly, Sharyn.' ‘Alright then, scurry off to your class!' Scoffed Sharyn, she cannot stand the fact that I might actually care about my form! And â€Å"Scurry off† – what on earth's that suppose to mean – god give me strength! I decide to take the long way to my form room, which means I have to walk half way around the school but I need time to clear my head. I have to keep a positive attitude; I don't want to end up like Sharyn Tinton. ‘ Miss. Holcroft?' Yes, I am a Miss. I am not married and I do not have any children. I am a twenty seven-year old single teacher. I enjoy the freedom but at times I get depressed and I wish I could go home to someone besides my cat that would give me a hug and tell me that everything would turn out okay. Instead, I am going to grow old on my own, with no children and no husband; I'll be the cat woman†¦. ‘ Miss. Holcroft!' ‘Yes Lara?' A familiar voice. Lara always has an excuse. Even when she hands her work in on time, she has to elaborate on how her printer made the lines uneven. Maybe it is a compulsive disorder, I wouldn't know, I never did psychology! ‘ I handed in my essay but I've just realised that I never wrote a conclusion!' ‘ Lara, don't worry, I'll read it through and you can write a conclusion for next Wednesday, is that alright by you?' ‘Yes thank you Miss.' And she skips down the corridor, pleased that she has managed to make yet another thing wrong with her work! It is strange, I see so many different personalities and every single one is a pleasure to work with! Essay. English Essay. GCSE course work essay, which means more marking, which means more staying after school – late! I have now come to the locker room, which happens to be the only one that is in the corridor. All the other ones have their own rooms, why my forms one has to be in the corridor, I don't know! As I stroll past the bright orange and grey lockers, a girl passes me quickly. I know who she is, she's in my English and Drama classes; we seem to get along just fine but when it comes to passing her in the corridor, she is a different person. She keeps her eyes glued to the floor and swerves as far away from me as possible. I do not know why she does it but I know it is not personal because she does it to every member of staff – especially the male teachers. I do wonder about her sometimes. I'll speak to her after Drama†¦ maybe. As I get closer to my form room I can hear laughing and screaming and I can guess where it is coming from, so I rush to my door. ‘ ALRIGHT CLASS, SETTLE DOWN!' I have to raise my voice several decibels to compete with the racket that manages to come out of twenty-four pupils' mouths. ‘ Morning Miss.!' They all announce in unison. I never asked them to say good morning but they always do! ‘ Unfortunately guys, I'm going to have to lecture you all about behaviour, uniform and monthly events.' Several groans from the class ‘ As you can all see, I have a wadge of paper to get through so for your benefit, as well as mine, you should all keep quiet – that way I can speed through this in no time. But first thing's first – register!' I skim through the names, I know them in order by heart now and the routine is the same every day.' Kelly, Sam, Fiona, Laura†¦ I haven't seen her. Oh, there you are, hiding at the back of the class – put that brain fryer away! Katie, Sam†¦' And it goes on, they do not need to answer, I know who is there already and if I have not seen them, then they have to tell me. As far as absences go, I never have any. Late marks on the other hand, are a different story! â€Å"Now for the lecture, which I know you are all going to love!' And I trundle through the piles and piles of paper that Sharyn gave me. I look around the classroom as I speak and all I can see are tired, bored faces. They all know what I am going to say before it even comes out of my mouth†¦ ‘ Litter is not acceptable in the canteen area, or anywhere else for that matter – Becky, quiet – school jackets must be worn at all times outside of school, you made them make fitted ones instead of blazers, now wear them!' ‘And what if I cycle?' Marie shouts at the top of her voice. ‘You wrap the jacket about your head like a turban when you cycle! What do you think Marie, you have already asked me that before! I know it's a Monday morning but try to get your brain in gear before the day starts!' ‘If she has one!' Becky interrupts and the whole class laughs, including Marie. ‘Okay, I won't bring it then?' ‘Actually, keep it in your locker just in case Miss. Tinton decides to walk us all down to the church suddenly, like last week. If it is in your locker, you will always be prepared for her little â€Å"surprises†.' ‘ And finally; your shoes have to be FLAT. Yuck, I know but you just have to like it or lump it. Think about it ladies. If you lot look dressed up with belts as skirts – not saying any of you do – and platform shoes for school, you will look the same when you go out at the weekend and what's the point in that?' A young lady at the back of the class shoots her hand up in the air. ‘ Yes Sarah?' ‘Can I go to the loo please?' ‘You can†¦ but you may not!' Sarah sits there with her eyes crossed as the rest of the form laugh. One of the girls next to her is kind enough to explain what my last sentence just indicated and when she finally comprehends, she slides back into her chair, her face as red as a tomato! ‘Seen as you said ‘please', you may go to the loo. Just remember what to say next time!' As soon as Sarah runs out the classroom, the form bursts into fits of laughter. ‘I'm glad to see that you're all awake now. Does anyone have anything valuable that they wish to say?' ‘Georgina loves Simon!' Screams Becky and the bell rings. ‘Good morning class.' ‘Good morning Miss.' And they're gone. * My morning starts with Drama – just the lesson I need to wake the students (and myself) up. Drama is my subject; Drama is the subject. I have been doing Drama, theatre studies and degrees in the performing arts all my life and now, I am teaching it. I am head of the Drama Department. My year nine class is preparing for their play. They chose it; they were fed up of my â€Å"morbid† plays. But I think that it brings out the true potential of the students. Anger and sorrow are the two easiest (in my opinion) emotions to perform well. The girls seem to think other wise. They have chosen ‘Alice in Wonderland', which, I must admit, is a wonderful story for both adults and children – so well written. Luckily the class arrives five minutes late, at least I have some time to get all my things in order. A goblin seems to have rushed about my office and thrown all my lesson plans around and messed up my whole week! They all sit in a circle and immediately start talking about â€Å"stuff†. I don't know why they always sit down because I always ask them to stand right up again! Scanning the class, I can see that every one is here. It is strange that at the age of 14, the girls are still in their little groups. It saddens me to think that there is always one girl who gets left out. I can't see anything wrong with her. She is mature, sensible†¦ I see, she's mature! This lot is very giggly; they sit in their little groups plaiting each other's hair and singing. There is one group in the middle of the class. I can tell and have also been informed that this is the â€Å"cool† group. In my opinion, they are not cool at all. They are the cockiest, rudest pick of the bunch. I can't remember when they last handed their homework in. They refuse to enjoy doing anything that involves any one whom is not in their group. In the near left corner are the â€Å"geeks†. They look extremely studious, only one of them wears glasses but at this school, like many others, the length of your skirt decides your â€Å"class†. The â€Å"geeks† have decent length skirts – which obviously makes them really â€Å"sad†. Then, in the near right corner are the people who are â€Å"semi-geeks†, â€Å"gliders† or â€Å"sailors† (who make up these STUPID names?) They are the people, who are friendly to everyone, don't always have perfect homework but hand it in most of the time and don't fit into any extreme gr oup. Then there is one girl, who always sits in the far-left corner of the room, reading her book and not hurting anyone. She is quiet and lacks in self-confidence, mainly because of her past with bullying and the fact that everyone rejects her because she likes to read (don't ask). She is the mature one, the girl who is very knowledgeable but no one finds out – not even the rest of the staff – because they don't have time for her or they don't like the length of her skirt. It'll never change; it was the same when I was at school! ‘Stand up please' And I begin the lesson. A whole hour of drama. I warm them up, get them to run about screaming (I know this makes them feel silly but hey!) and finally sit down and watch them do their play, shouting ‘No, no, no. You don't laugh when you are crying, you do it like this!' And I fling myself into their world of make believe showing them how to do it. I told the girls whom they were going to play and when I told them that Danielle (the quiet young lady who sits in the far-left corner) was going to be Alice they threw a tiff. Not after class but right in front of Danielle. ‘It's alright Miss. Holcroft, I'll just be a tree or something if no one wants me to do it.' She whispered. I had comments such as ‘She can't act!' and ‘ She's too fat to be Alice.' Not only can Danielle act; she is FAR from fat. In fact, she dances eight times a week and is the most skeletal young girl I have seen in a while, I know she used to be a bit heavier but they obviously just kept her nickname. They are now coming to realise that Danielle can act and is very good at it too. I think they are a bit jealous to be honest. They are doing well and need little direction from me but when things start to slow down; I'll jump into the scene and throw my ideas around the set for them to catch if they wish. Danielle just stands there. I know she has good ideas, I've seen her writing them down and sticking them in her school diary but she is too nervous to say anything. I get frustrated standing there watching her brain working over and over and yet, she stands there, expressionless. There's nothing much I can do in class and I don't want to frighten her off by asking her to stay behind in front of the class but I so want her to say what she is thinking, I want to know why she avoids people in the corridors, why she reads and reads. Why am I so†¦aggravated? This is why we are not allowed to care; we have to â€Å"get on with our job†. But the girls in this school are people just like us teachers, just younger. If one of my colleagues were doing the same, it would not be considered strange for me to try to help. But the moment we try to help a student with anything other than work, we are told we are getting too close. It's all a big circle though. It will affect their work if it gets worse and I want to stop it before it gets to that stage. How? After half an hour of watching them I get out strips of paper and write comments on them, of what I think of their work. I do not usually do this but I have an idea. Every one has to improve projection and develop character but there are little things that people are just not doing right. So, I write them on bits of paper and the students don't get embarrassed, I'm seeing if it changes the way they act. Genius. Everyone starts to walk out of the class, Danielle at the back and I say, ‘Oh, Danielle, can you help me with something in my office, I would just like you to take something to Mr. O'Hara as well.' No one turns around, no one cares and no one laughs. Good. I did not plan to speak to her, it just came out of my mouth, now I have to decide on what I am going to say to her (this is where improvisation skills come in handy!) When all but one have left the class I sit down on one of the black bean bags that sits in the far left corner of the class. Danielle is standing there reading her book. So now what do I say? ‘Danielle, your acting is really coming on, what do you think of the play so far?' Now she'll tell me what she's thinking. ‘S'fine.' She manages to say without looking up. It was not a rude comment, but I could not read any expression in her voice. I need to feed her a longer line. ‘How do you think we could improve the play? I'm sure you have some ideas, I can see you thinking when someone suggests something that you don't approve with†¦' ‘Can you?' She looks up ‘Sorry, I don't mean to I just†¦' ‘Danielle, don't apologise, I think they give the most stupid suggestions too, you and I both know that putting a brown paper bag over someone's face is not going to work as a mask!' Relief spreads over me as I actually see a smile spread across her face and she giggles. I rarely see her smile, if ever and when she does, I know it means something, I don't know what. I just know. I sit there for fifteen minutes, talking to her about how we could improve the play and I found out that she thinks of the same things as me and spots the same tiny mistakes that people make. She told me that she gave up suggesting things because people ignored her whatever the idea and relied on me to say what she was thinking. I promised her I would suggest that the class does the things Danielle pointed out and I also promised that I would not mention her name and we would see how they reacted to them. She smiled. I returned the gesture. And she went to her next lesson. That was not hard, and I received a smile! When I connect with a student, it is what makes the job worth while, not when I make one cry (Sharyn Tinton†¦.) Next period is a break for me, which gives me time to sort out all my lesson plans. I only teach three lessons today, which means I have lots of free time to mark essays and drama assignments. How exciting. Marking has to be the worst thing about teaching. The reason everyone loves leaving school when they are eighteen is because there will be no more homework when they get a job and of course, they are leaving school. Well. For me, it is different, I am still at school and I still have homework and I still hate homework! The free period passes quickly and I have to come out of my little drama office to teach another lesson. This time it is year eleven's. Are they still in their groups? Yes. Is there one person left out writing in her diary? Yes. Does everyone hate her? No. This is the difference. In year nine, they reject the out cast ignore her and hate her; in year eleven, they just reject her and ignore her, when they all have to work together, they can have a descent conversation with her but she does not respond so they give up. Why does she not respond? I think it is because she is fed up – fed up of people being so two faced. I would not know. GCSE drama, a great subject to be doing a GCSE in but what the students don't realise is that it is not a â€Å"dos† subject. Instead of teaching this lesson, I decide to lecture them on tardiness, forgetfulness and respect. They all sit there with long faces probably thinking oh just SHUT UP! But I don't mind – one of the student's talks to her friend and I send her out, I believe in giving people chances, but I have had so many complaints from group members about their peers not participating that I just blew it. None of them have ever seen me shout before, so I think it was very effective. No one talked as they walked out the class and I had several of them come up to me and apologise! Success! Lunch break. Or should I say, sit in my English â€Å"box† and mark homework to give to my next class. English homework is the worst. I sometimes wish I had been a maths teacher, all one has to do it get it right or wrong and if the answer is wrong, the teacher just puts a cross by it! English is a different matter entirely. I have to read every single word looking for spelling mistakes, grammar mistakes and punctuation errors. Then I have to see if they have the content sorted out. I have to look for references to Shakespeare and the title etc. The list goes on! Before I know it, the bell has rung and I have a full classroom. Year nines. I have already had some of them this morning for Drama and it is interesting to see how they have changed from the morning to the afternoon – they have not! In the morning they are not quite awake yet and in the afternoon they are starting to fall asleep! I have pushed all the desks to the edges of the room – this lesson we are having a discussion. I have bought beanbags and cushions and put them in a circle and instead of teaching this lesson, I am sitting listening and taking part. The discussion is about Shakespeare's (oh whoopdeedoo) play The Merchant of Venice. The class has to take a side a) I feel sympathy for Shylock and b) I don't! The discussion goes well, with all members taking part in the discussion, no one talks while someone else is talking and it is a relaxed lesson with no pressure to perform well. Danielle actually smiles, everyone gives their homework in and I even receive a card from someone! I'll open it when I get home. I pack my belongings and work into my backpack and go to the loo's where I leave my clothes in a locker. I exchange my uniform for my leathers and close the door to the shower rooms. Walking down the corridor, I see happy students running around and collecting their possessions to take home with them. I walk down the stairs and meet the cat at the bottom. Stroking him with my one uncovered hand I tell him I'll see him tomorrow and seven thirty and I stand up. The huge, heavy door is already open, so I don't have to open it. I look at the lawn outside of the school and the students catching a lift home. As I walk down the stairs, I receive many goodbyes and smiles. I jump onto my Honda VTR 1000 sp-2 and just as I am about to put on my helmet I hear someone shout, â€Å"BYE MISS HOLCROFT!† It's Danielle! â€Å"Good bye Danielle!† I reply, put on my helmet, turn on the engine and zoom off! I arrive home half hour an later and switch some music on – classical, my favourite! Change into my dance pants and tee shirt, sit down, get my book from my bag and I open it. As I do so, something falls out of it; it is the card I found on my desk this afternoon. I open the card and it reads: Dear Miss Holcroft, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Love Danielle xx Some one remembered.